It's still definitely winter. Another 2-3 inches of snow yesterday topped up the snow cover. Quite a bit of it has melted down around the Tidal Basin, but the see-sawing slightly warmer days and cold nights has left an inch or two of crunchy snow. What looks to be a reasonably thick layer of ice still covers the Tidal Basin, which in turn is covered by snow. A few scattered snow flurries this morning is giving way to bright sunshine this afternoon.
Overall, we're still mostly in the cold cycle, and this very cold February will have the effect of slowing down the process of the cherry blossoms. But if we get some warm days in March it could speed things up and undo the effects of the cold February.
The National Park Service will be issuing its first peak bloom forecast this coming Tuesday. So stay tuned!
You can always find the most up-to-date information on the peak bloom forecasts page.
Want to Help Support DC's Cherry Trees?
If you'd like to help support the care and upkeep of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, the Trust for The National Mall has launched an Endow a Cherry Tree Campaign. Donations go to the official Cherry Tree Endowment, which will give the National Park Service additional resources to fund the care, maintenance, and possible replacement of the cherry trees. You can find more information here.
The Trust is dedicated to marshaling private support for maintaining and improving the history National Mall area. I'm not affiliated with the Trust--just an admirer of their efforts.